Their eyes meet, and Granger's turn threatening at once. She's warning Draco he'd better not say anything which would trouble this boy.
"The first few months were difficult for me," Granger tells Euan, apparently continuing with the point she'd been making before Draco's arrival. "And they might be for you too. But after a while -" She pauses, really considering what to say next. "Getting to learn magic," she says, "getting really good at magic, that makes everything else bearable."
"Just bearable?"
Granger smiles kindly. "It's bearable from the start, then gets really wonderful."
Euan's relief shows, though it isn't enough to get him moving off the train. Losing patience, Draco tosses himself into the seat across from the pair.
"Listen, kid, if Granger's looking out for you, you're going to be fine. You're going to be great, in fact."
Euan sits up straighter. "You're someone important?"
Granger shakes her head no, opens her mouth to say something, but Draco interjects. "Gryffindor prefect. Future Head Girl. Harry Potter's best friend -" he says.
"Who's Harry Potter?"
"Haven't heard of Harry Potter? Must be Muggle-born, then. I thought with a name like Euan -"
"Malfoy, please -"
"Then again, her name's Hermione. So what do I really know about Muggle names?"
Euon glances between them, not sure what to make of all that. "Who's - Who's Harry Potter?" he repeats.
"A living legend. Always saving the day, getting the glory. But Granger here -" Draco pats Granger on the knee. "Granger's the brains behind all his success."
It's not like he sought out her company this time, Draco tells himself. Grubbly-Plank sent him to fetch this boy, Euan, and she happened to be with him already. 'I complimented her for the boy's sake. I was being a good prefect. You understand don't you, Dark Lord?'
Ha. Like that would work.
"Oh, yeah?" Euan's relief starts to look more like excitement. "What kinds of things have you and Harry Potter done?"
"Unfortunately, there's not time to get into all that right now," says Draco. "You've got to catch up with the other first-years at the boats. Another day, though."
Euan looks at Granger. "What house are you in?"
"Gryffindor," she says, adjusting her robes so he can better see the crest sewn there.
"If I'm in Gryffindor too, you'll tell me about it tonight? You promise?"
"Sure. If you're in Gryffindor."
Euan nods, satisfied at last, then off he goes.
Granger turns her attention to Draco. "Thank you for not calling him a Mudblood," she says coldly. "I appreciate the restraint you showed."
What in the world? Draco's kept his word. He hasn't called anyone a Mudblood in months. Is Granger baiting him? Is she looking for an argument?
"He probably wouldn't have known he should be insulted, anyway," he says, shrugging.
A joke, but it backfires. Granger's face is full of disappointment. "Right, well, congratulations on making prefect," she says, pointing at Draco's pin. "I'll see you around."
She makes it to the next passenger car before Draco catches up to her.
"You're mad I didn't write you? Is that what this is about? Because I left my notebook at school to make sure I'd be safe."
He takes a beat, a chance for Granger to say something back. She doesn't.
"He's been in my home, Hermione," he continues. "I thought you'd be smart enough to figure that out."
Wait, no. Bad move. He takes another beat, a longer one, then tries something new. "I wanted to write, though. I missed you this summer," he says.
"Missed me? You missed me?" Granger's practically shrieking. "That's funny, because I worried about you all summer. And I was so sure you were someone worth worrying about, sure this year - Stop it, don't touch me! And don't interrupt me!"
Draco hadn't even realized he'd reached for her until she said something. What was he going to do, hold her around her waist? Try explaining that one to the Dark Lord, you git.
"I thought this year would be different," Granger continues. "I thought you'd start doing the right thing consistently now that he's back, thought you'd finally realize just how much is at stake. But here you are, doing the same routine as always. Giving Harry a hard time, acting tough around your friends. But when no one else is looking, you - you - I don't even know what you're doing, try to butter me up? And for what? So you can say to yourself, 'Wow, I'm so clever. I'm so charming. Even that Mudblood girl I hate - that girl who doesn't deserve basic human rights -"
"Oh, c'mon -"
" - even she gets weak in the knees when she sees me.'"
Wait, what? Is that true? Does she -
"God, I've been such an idiot about this!" Granger hollers, and then she takes off once again.
"Hermione! Hermione, please!"
The nearest exit door swings open then, and there's Ginny Weasley. Granger's furball of a cat leaps out of her arms. She glances around, clearly curious about what she's just walked in on, but she doesn't ask. "The carriages have started to move," she tells Granger, picking the cat back up. "You need to hurry up."
Outside on the platform, his stomach in knots like it always is when Hermione Granger is mad at him, Draco pushes himself to make decisions. He's back at Hogwarts. He's safe. Theo's safe. At least for the next ten months. And Granger's just said he, Draco, makes her weak in the knees.
"A friend of mine wants to know if you'll teach him the Patronus Charm," he says.
Granger and Weasley exchange looks. They didn't expect that.
"A friend of yours?" asks Weasley.
"Yes."
"Not you?" asks Granger.
Would it help smooth things over if he wanted to learn the charm too? He's safe for the next ten months, but what about after that?
"Maybe me too."
Granger scowls. "Fine," she says. "I'll be in the boathouse Saturday after dinner. Tell your friend."